'Instrument phone' can be strummed like a guitar

KRE-8 concept handset breaks in half

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The design of a new concept phone that enables you to make music has been revealed.

The KRE-8 is the work of Jose Tomas DeLuna. It's particularly notable for the fact that it can be broken in half and then used to play the guitar, drums or violin (think about the way you'd wield a Nintendo Wii control setup and you'll get a better understanding of how this works).

As you 'play' your instrument, gestures are read by orientation sensors and accelerometers that are embedded in each half of the phone. These are then translated into MIDI data, which is used to trigger appropriate sounds.

The idea is that you'd be able to jam with other users by sending your MIDI-based music over a 3G wireless network.

As well as this Instrument mode, the KRE-8 also offers mixing of songs via its touchscreen, and recording through the built-in microphone. And, of course, it works as a phone, too.

So, will the KRE-8 go into production? Apparently, the design project was sponsored by Motorola, so at least it has the attention of a major manufacturer. However, we don't think the iPhone has anything to worry about just yet.